What can you do with Microsoft’s new-look Outlook?

Sending emails from your web browser is about to get a lot more advanced with the updated Outlook.com. Here are some of the new features you’ll be able to use…

Remember when your web-based email inbox used to be really basic? Now Outlook.com has been updated, and it’s just as clever as its app and desktop versions.

We look at the new features you’ll get with the update – including more efficient calendar syncing, side-by-side attachment editing and add-ins from Giphy, Uber and Yelp.

What’s new from Outlook.com?

For the past few months Microsoft has been updating its mobile apps, as well as launching Outlook 2016 for your desktop. Now it’s added a new-look Outlook.com to the line-up, to improve how you send emails on your web browser.

It’s been built using the same technology as Office 365 – which you may recognise from your work, school or uni account.

Now you can get the same features in your personal Outlook account – like adding flight details to your calendar direct from your online booking, or making your address book more intuitive.

You’ll also have greater security over any data you store on your email account or calendar.

Easier to navigate

Never forget to respond to important emails again by ‘Pinning’ them to the top of your inbox – so it’s the first thing you see when you log in.

It’s much easier to find what you’re looking for with folder-specific Pins and smarter search suggestions.

Outlook can also recognise who you contact most frequently over time – and adds them to your frequent contacts for easy access.

Or clear out annoying junk mail with the Clutter function, which automatically filters emails that might not have been picked up by your spam filter.

Manage your attachments in one place

With Outlook.com you’ll now get access to Microsoft Cloud as standard.

What does this mean? Rather than sending a Word document by uploading it to the email you’re sending, grab a copy of it from OneDrive, Box and Dropbox for a faster upload.

It also makes it easier to manage attachments – you can make edits on a Word, PowerPoint or Excel document at the same time as reading an email by using the side-by-side editing feature. Other cool new features of Outlook.com include:

faster replies – type short replies inline, so you don’t waste time opening up emails

option to quickly add people with the @Mention Or let someone know if an email’s particularly important for them when you’re sending to multiple contacts – by typing ‘@’ then their name

more expressive emails – it’s easier to insert emojis by typing the emotion you want to express eg :happy and selecting from related emojis

add images by copying and pasting, then edit them directly within the message

Credit: Microsoft

Get more from your inbox with plugins

As well as Microsoft’s new features, you also have the option to add other plugins that let you do even more from your account.

Launch the plugin you want to use from your menu bar and it’ll open in a sidebar next to your inbox. With it you can:

send funny animations from Giphy’s huge GIF library

get organised with Wunderlist – add emails directly into your to-do list or share lists with other people in an email

switch from emails to IM and chat on Skype – so you have more ways to chat with your contacts

find restaurant reviews with Yelp and share them when you’re making plans

book your next ride with the Uber app – and use it to set reminders for when you next want to order your cab

The update is available in the US now, and it’s rolling out to the rest of the world in the coming weeks. If you already have an Outlook account you’ll get an automatic update – so you won’t have to do anything to access Outlook.com’s new features.